Mosaica Online Happenings
April 8-12
Upcoming Dates to Remember
- Tuesday, April 9th: Staff Meeting at 7pm Eastern in Stephanie's office (date adjusted due to Spring Breaks)
- Friday, April 12th: Advisement recording in lieu of meeting during conferences
- Thursday, April 25th: Parent Education Meeting @ 8:30pm Eastern
- Friday, April 26th: Advisement @ 2pm Eastern in Julie's office
- **Beginning August 28th, all adjunct teachers must submit invoices to Brenda McCullers on the 14th and 28th of the month**
End of the Grading Period.... Right Around the Corner!
AZ: Friday, April 5th
CA & CO: Wednesday, April 10th
You received the chart and calendars to guide you through the ending of Grading Period #3..... The immediate deadlines are:
Week of April 8th:
Monday, April 8th: Student Holiday – AZ
Tuesday, April 9th: First day of GP#4 - AZ
Wednesday, April 10th: Last day of the grading period – CA & CO
Wednesday, April 10th: All CA & CO PSAP information should be complete in Alpine
Thursday, April 11th: Student Holiday – CA & CO
Friday, April 12th: First day of GP#4 – CA & CO
Friday, April 12th: ALL GRADES DUE IN PS – 12 noon EASTERN!Teacher Tasks:
- All grades for AZ, CA, and CO entered into PowerSchool NO LATER THAN 12 NOON – 4/12/13 (grades in PS and in D2L must match EXACTLY. Round all grades as follows: 0.49 and below rounds down; 0.50 and above rounds up)
- Email Cecilia Perkins (AZ and CO), and/or Elaina Mutis (CA), as soon as all grades are entered in PS so that they can provide you with a verification report.
Advisors:
- Confirm all PSAP information correct and in for AZ
- Begin holding PSAP conferences-AZ
- Confirm all PSAP information correct and in for CA & CO
Staff Spotlight- Amy Pegram
I was born and raised in the south in Brunswick, GA. I am the youngest of 4 and love having a big family. I met my husband 17 years ago in high school and we have been best friends ever since. We have 2 amazing children. Our daughter Riley will be 5 in July and will start kindergarten next year. Miles is my mama’s boy who is 2 ½. We try to live every day to its fullest and have a blast doing so!
I started teaching 5th grade in a traditional classroom in 2004 and loved it. After having children, I decided to be a stay-at-home mom. Online teaching has given me the flexibility to stay home with my own children and continuing to teach others! It is definitely a challenge, but I’m enjoying the ride.
We are so glad to have you as part of the team Amy!
Mercury Sunshine!
*Please keep Elaine Gaughf-Smith in your thoughts-She is currently undergoing chemotherapy - you can do it Elaine!
*As always, please keep Barbara Noel-Williams in your thoughts- she is a WARRIOR in her fight against cancer!!!!
Let me know of any concerns or celebrations within our Mercury family!
Club Corner
TEACHER TIP OF THE WEEK!
Tip # 11 Final Tips…
• Fill in bubbles fully, write neatly, and erase stray marks.
• Double-check the test number in your test booklet against the answer sheet every few questions to be sure you haven’t gotten on the wrong number.
• Avoid the Death Grip!
• If your arm tires during testing it is probably due to the grip that you have on your pencil.
• Relax the grip and give those muscles a break.
• Do not do arm exercises during testing as this disturbs others.
• Remember it's okay to not know everything — unlike class tests, these tests will have some questions designed to challenge the limits of your knowledge at a grade level above your current grade.
• Good Luck!
• Relax,
• Be Confident,
• SHOW what you KNOW
• And…
• Do the best YOU can do!
Let's Continue Our Discussion on Love and Logic®....
Effective teachers replace praise (e.g., "Wow, that is so great!") with very specific encouragement (e.g., "You got eight out of ten answers correct").
Love and Logic ® Teacher-isms by Jim Fay and Charles Fay
What Is Going On In Other Mercury Locations?
Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
Mexico City
Alaska
Muskegon Heights, Michigan
Hyderabad, India
Ohio
You will receive updates here that will pertain to our students in any of these locations!
- be sure to consult the various calendars in D2L for these locations
Teachers PLEASE be sure you are keeping your D2L grade book updated. Whenever a program needs grades for a progress report, we export the D2L grade book current average. Thank you!
Upcoming Events/Holidays:
Puerto Vallarta
- April 26th: Professional Development Day
- May 1st and 6th: Mexican Holiday
- June 13-18th: Final Exams
Mexico City
- May 1st: Mexican Holiday
- May 10th: Mother's Day Holiday
- June 1st: Seniors Graduate
- June 13th: Last Day of School
Muskegon Heights
- May 10th: 1/2 day vacation
- May 27th: Memorial Day Holiday
- June 25th: Last Day of School
India
- June 20th: Last Day of School
Data Discussion...
CCSS:
As we focus our efforts on a strong finish for this year, we must take a moment to prepare our thoughts on the coming school year. Common Core State Standards are here, and we need to be sure we have some of the basics of this movement clear as we articulate them to parents and students. Just a few facts to help set a foundation of understanding:
Q: What is the Common Core State Standards Initiative?
A: The Common Core State Standards Initiative is a state-led effort that established a single set of clear educational standards for kindergarten through 12th grade in English language arts and mathematics that states voluntarily adopt. The standards are designed to ensure that students graduating from high school are prepared to enter credit bearing entry courses in two or four year college programs or enter the workforce. The standards are clear and concise to ensure that parents, teachers, and students have a clear understanding of the expectations in reading, writing, speaking and listening, language and mathematics in school.
Q: What guidance do the Common Core State Standards provide to teachers?
A: The Common Core State Standards are a clear set of shared goals and expectations for the knowledge and skills students need in English language arts and mathematics at each grade level to ultimately be prepared to graduate college and career ready. The standards establish what students need to learn, but they do not dictate how teachers should teach. Teachers will continue to devise lesson plans and tailor instruction to the individual needs of the students in their classrooms.
Q: Will there be tests based on the Common Core State Standards?
A: Yes. States that adopted the Common Core State Standards are currently collaborating to develop common assessments that will be aligned to the standards and replace existing end of year state assessments. These assessments will be available in the 2014-2015 school year. (AZ and CO will implement the PARCC assessment, while CA will implement the SmarterBalanced assessment.)
http://www.corestandards.org/resources/frequently-asked-questions
http://www.parcconline.org/about-parcc
http://www.smarterbalanced.org/about/member-states/State Testing....
Arizona:
April 9th – AIMS - 10th Grade Math
April 10th – AIMS – 10th Grade Science
April 11th – Stanford 10 – 9th Grade
April 15th – Stanford 10 – 2nd Grade
April 15th-18th – AIMS – 3rd-8th Grade
California:
Corona April 22-24
Wildomar April 29 – May 3
La Mesa May 6 - 8
Online Paragon Nights!
https://sas.elluminate.com/site/external/jwsdetect/playback.jnlp?psid=2013-03-05.1707.M.647EA3BE52D5D1AA5AC12732E0F303.vcr&sid=2009101
And last but not least..... Your joke of the week
Son: How to write
Mother: What did you write ?
Son: I don't know, they haven't taught us how to read yet !